The Life of Jesus in Harmony |
Index
demon
DEMONIAC (Gk. daimonizomai, "to be under the power of a demon," rendered
"demon possessed" or "demoniac").
A term frequently used in the NT of one under the influence of a demon. The
verb "to be demonized" occurs, in one form or another, seven times in
Matthew, four times in Mark, once in Luke, and once in
John.
By some, demoniacs are believed to have been "persons afflicted with
especially severe diseases, either bodily or mental (such as paralysis, blindness,
deafness, loss of speech, epilepsy, melancholy, insanity, etc.), whose bodies, in
the opinion of the Jews, demons had entered." But the evidence points to actual
possession by spirits. "The demonized were incapable of separating their own
consciousness and ideas from the influence of the demon, their own identity being
merged, and to that extent lost, in that of their tormentors. In this respect
the demonized state was also kindred to madness" (Edersheim, Life of
Jesus, 1:608).
Jesus treated cases of demonic possession as realities. He is not only
described as "rebuking," "commanding," and "casting out" the unclean spirits, but His
direct addresses to them are recorded. In (Mark 5:8-12) and (Matt. 8:28-32)
Jesus addresses the demons who are called "Legion," commanding them to leave and
finally granting them permission to enter a nearby herd of swine. Again <Mark
1:25; Luke 4:35>, He directly addressed the unclean spirit: "Be quiet, and come
out of him!"
Clearly demonism was regarded by our Lord as reality.